UN moves closer to Mali intervention

The United Nations Security Council has adopted a resolution that moves a step closer to foreign military intervention in Mali.

The country has been in turmoil for months, split in two by an Islamist insurgency in the north, where the UN says militants have been amassing money from ransoms and drug trafficking while imposing Sharia law.

They have also destroyed half of the World Heritage-listed tombs and mausoleums in the town of Timbuktu.

The UN Security Council on Friday approved a resolution that presses West African nations to speed up preparations for an international military intervention, aimed at reconquering northern Mali.

The text unanimously approved by the council also urges authorities in Bamako and representatives of "Malian rebel groups" controlling the north to "engage, as soon as possible, in a credible negotiation process".

The council members warned that the process should be undertaken with a view toward "a sustainable political solution, mindful of the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Mali."

In March, militants seized power in the capital Bamako, ousting president Amadou Toumani Toure, only to see the north and east fall to Tuareg rebels and militias linked to Al Qaeda.

"There is a feeling that it is a dire situation in northern Mali and we need prompt action," said Guatemala's envoy to the United Nations, Gert Rosenthal, who holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council this month.

"But it is a very complex operation... this will be the first step towards something more robust, I hope."

The council asked UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon to work with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union in order to submit to the council within 45 days "detailed and actionable recommendations" in preparation for the deployment of an international military force in Mali.

A first draft of the resolution called for a 30-day timetable, but 45 days was later deemed to be more realistic.

The plan should include "means and modalities of the envisaged deployment, in particular the concept of operations," personnel needed and a cost estimate, said the text, which was mainly drafted by France.

International 'menace'

France was a colonial power in Mali and French president Francois Hollande says the situation there is a threat to the entire region.

"The terrorism which is structured and settled, it's not just a menace for West Africa," he said.

"It's already there, the danger's there no doubt about that.

"It's not simply an aggression on a sovereign country, Mali, it's a major question for the security of the African continent and of Europe."

After details for military intervention are submitted, the 15-member council would still have to pass a second resolution to give the green light to the deployment.

That is not expected to happen before the end of the year.

Mr Hollande stressed the resolution was not just about facilitating a military intervention, but had a political component as well, with armed groups urged to halt attacks and join reconciliation efforts.

"The international community as a whole will stand side-by-side with Mali in this effort" to reconquer the north, Mr Hollande said.

"It is now up to the Africans, through the work of ECOWAS and the African Union, to finalise their response to the Malian government's call for help."